Menendez should speak for free press in Taiwan

New Jersey has already gotten a sneak peek at Sen. Robert Menendez's new position in Congress. As the incoming chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, he led the questioning of departing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about security issues in Benghazi.

Menendez's new leadership role on the Foreign Relations Committee especially interests me because, like the senator himself, I am a Cuban-American New Jersey resident. Like every American, I cherish our freedoms and rights, including freedom of the press.

One matter that deserves the senator's immediate attention is the threat to freedom of the press currently happening in Taiwan.

Through a billionaire proxy, many believe the Chinese government is currently snatching up Taiwanese media outlets in an effort to turn them into voices supportive of Taiwanese reunification with Beijing.

The billionaire in question has been called out by media watchdogs for media manipulation, censorship and downplaying the human rights abuses at Tiananmen Square.

In Taiwan, the youth are marching in the streets against efforts to stifle free press on the island. They are concerned that the billionaire Tsai Eng-Meng will soon control 50 percent of the newspapers in Taiwan.

As a leading voice in U.S. foreign policy and a voice for Cuban-Americans who hold our freedoms in such high importance, Menendez must add his criticism to what is happening in Taiwan.

The U.S. has long believed that there must be a free and open dialogue between China and Taiwan. Such a dialogue is not possible if one side controls all of the media.

David Hernandez

Ocean Township

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Menendez should speak for free press in Taiwan

New Jersey has already gotten a sneak peek at Sen. Robert Menendez's new position in Congress.

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